Posted on 08/31/2016 4:32:52 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
A while back, someone asked if we had ever done a thread on kitchen gadgets; and I got to thinking that maybe it was time to do another one.
First, one of the most useful items I've ever found for slicing home-made loaves of bread in nice, even slices: the Mountain Woods Fiddle Bow Bread Knife. I found mine at the thrift store, but you can still get them on Amazon. The blade remains very sharp, and my husband also likes it for getting thick slices from big tomatoes. Note that they come in right- or left-handed styles, and choose accordingly:
Another item I found in the thrift store, and which you may have to find on Ebay or Etsy now, is a vintage Tupperware celery crisper. I'm no scientist, so I can't say exactly how this works, but when moisture precipitates out of the celery, it falls through the perforated false bottom and collects there. The celery stays high and dry, and doesn't go limp and brown. I guess it just keeps the moisture away, and the airtight container keeps air out. I'm honestly not sure if you're actually supposed to drain it out now and then; but I didn't think of doing that the one time I've used this so far, and several weeks later my celery was still as crisp as new. My guess is that you do drain it, and the next time I use it, I'll do that:
Since the 1930s there has been a little restaurant in Silver Spring, Maryland called 'Mrs. K's Toll House'. I first ate there for a friend's bridesmaid luncheon in the early 1980s; and that was also the first time I experienced 'spiralized vegetables'. The salad they served consisted of several spiralized vegetables in bowls on a sort of 'tree' server, which also held little bowls of various dressings. I thought it was such an inviting way to get refreshing, raw veggies down one, including some that may not have been tried before - I think they actually had spiralized Daikon, even back then, and Mrs. K's was ahead of her time.
My husband receives the Cooks Illustrated email newsletter, and a while back they featured the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer. Being both a gadget-guy and a veggie guy he had to have it, and is very pleased with it. It has three different blades, for ribbons and strings, and four suction cups to hold the machine solidly while you work. If you're into the 'sprial veggie fad', you'll like this a lot, There are several versions, depending on how many different 'cuts' you want to be able to do:
https://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ
Lastly, something I bought just because it's pretty. I think I've mentioned before that I have a 'fetish' for pretty/clever containers of any kind, and I fell in love with these vintage reproduction Kilner canning jars. They come in several sizes, and can be used for actual canning, refrigerator pickling, or just holding staples on your counter in an attractive way:
-JT
It just needs your tender touch.....
Another gadget I treasure is my nutmeg grater...
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